The Open Forum

Just some quick words as the EPL season opens. As an avid Chelsea FC supporter, this is one of my favorite weekends of the year. Chelsea opened the season with a road win at Goodison Park vs host Everton, handing the Toffees their first season opener loss in a decade. It was also the first road win at Everton for the Blues in 5 years. Chelsea struggled offensively, but the arrival of Sterling seemed worthy of praise. He was a bright spot in the final third of the pitch. Work to be done at Stanford Bridge next Sunday vs the Hotspurs, but I'll take the 1-nil victory and 3 pts today. Here are some of the fixtures through Saturday: Man City, and new star Haaland, begin their title defense tomorrow on the road at West Ham. Manchester City, alongside Liverpool, Tottenham, and Chelsea lead the odds for this year's title race/Champions League positions. While AFC Bournemouth is the safest bet to lead relegation at the bottom of the table. Looking forward to another amazing season! Drop who you support in the comments 🙌

The Boston Celtics (MY Boston Celtics) are heavily in the race for Kevin Durant. KD has made it clear he wants out of Brooklyn. That much is clear. But where does he end up? Originally, it looked as though Miami and Phoenix were in the lead for KD. While Miami is still in the running, the C's seem to be the frontrunner. As it currently stands, Boston has unofficially offered: Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and a 1st round pick Nets want in addition: Marcus Smart, another rotation player, and an additional pick Jaylen Brown has not been pleased with the rumors, nor have I. JB tweeted out "Smh" upon rumors of a KD for JB swap. With all this being said, the Celtics SHOULD NOT trade for KD. Boston's biggest weakness in 2022 was their lack of a legitimate backup point guard to run the offense. Marcus Smart did a great job this past year of leading the C's to the finals. However, he is not a natural point guard. He was the best playmaker on the team and deserves every bit of credit for his growth at the point. Boston has since added Malcolm Brogdon in a trade with Indiana while giving up seemingly nothing. On top of this, they added Gallinari from Atlanta for size and outside shooting. This team has made the moves necessary to put them in prime position to make and win the finals in 2023. Instead.... The Celtics have considered the KD gamble. And while, yes, Durant is a top talent, he was outplayed by Tatum and Brown in the first round sweep of the Nets. Celtics need to stand firm and keep the chemistry dynamic that has already been proven to work. There is no gaurentee that Tatum and KD will work well together. JB is young, talented and shows up in gritty situations. KD for JB wouldn't be a mistake due to the talent in return, but it is an unnecessary move for a team who has improved since making the finals just a few months ago. Loyalty > Royalty

The draft is finally here. Tonight is the night careers are born and foundations are built. And it all starts in Orlando. In case you haven't kept up, my hometown Orlando Magic will draft numero uno in tonight's draft. I'll be breaking down the top 5 expected picks and what to watch for, starting now. 1. The Orlando Magic select Jabari Smith I am a Celtics fan. However, I am a big supporter of anything Orlando. Having been to Amway Center over 100 times, I've seen this team first hand (and I will be in attendance at tonight's watch party at Amway as well). I believe the best fit for the current roster is Jaden Ivey, but he would seem to be a reach at #1. With a returning Isaac, the long sized Magic need someone who can create baskets individually. I can honestly say I prefer Banchero for this roster because of his plug and play readiness, but Smith is a proven shooter, strong to the basket, and a well rounded. Sometimes the safe pick is the right pick. 2. The Oklahoma City Thunder select Chet Holmgren Holmgren presents the highest range of potential in this draft. By this I mean, he can be a bust or an absolute talent. I think OKC is a perfect fit for Chet and will allow him the space to develop both on the court and at the proper rate. The Thunder have accumulated roughly 184 draft picks over the next few years and have time to grow. Let's see if they decide to keep SGA or start fresh. 3. The Houston Rockets select Paolo Banchero This is an easy one. Assuming the Magic and Thunder go as predicted, the Rockets have the perfect match in Banchero. Pairing him with rookie standout Green can provide hope for the future. Houston moved on from Christian Wood last week in a trade to Dallas, which all but seals this pick. Good things are yet to come in Texas. 4. The "Sacramento Kings" select Jaden Ivey Note the quotations around the selection team. The fourth pick presently is held by the Kings, but there is much noise around trade movement leading up to the draft. Will the Kings choose to draft Ivey, the clear pick at #4, and pair him beside Fox? Or will they choose to make a deal and move back in the draft? Rumblings of a deal have been heard from many teams and the Kings are known for poor draft work. Regardless of how this is handled, Ivey is the right choice. Often compared to D Wade (although I wouldn't go that far yet), the Purdue star is the most ready to create off the dribble in this draft. Let's see what unfolds. 5. The Detroit Pistons select....!? Here's where it gets interesting. I do believe Detroit will take Keegan Murray out of Iowa. I think he fits well with Cunningham and can play the paint on each end of the court. Detroit sending Jerami Grant to Portland officially says the Pistons are all-in on Cade. If they decide to go the dual guard route, they could roll with Shaedon Sharpe of Kentucky or Benedict Mathurin out of Zona. Both viable options at #5. It will all depend on how Detroit wishes to approach their offense, tradition size balance or high pace. Watch tonight's NBA Draft on ESPN at 8pm Eastern time live from the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, NY